


Cho’s Oriental Adventures

by Birger



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Asian Character(s), Buddhism, Canon Compliant, Capitalism, China, Chinese Language, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Colonialism, Communism, Dragons, Hong Kong, In-Universe RPF, India, Islam, Japan, LGBTQ Character of Color, Mahoutokoro (Harry Potter), Mother-Daughter Relationship, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Original Wizarding Schools (Harry Potter), Other, POV Cho Chang, Phoenixes, Post-Hogwarts, Socialism, Statute of Secrecy (Harry Potter), Taiwan, Tibet, Wandless Magic, Wizarding Culture (Harry Potter), Wizarding History (Harry Potter), Wizarding Politics (Harry Potter), Xinjiang, beijing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24230818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birger/pseuds/Birger
Summary: After a divorce with her Muggle husband, Cho Chang decides to move abroad with her daughter to reconnect with their East Asian roots and embrace their cultural heritage.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 7





	1. A Tale of Three Chinas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is partially inspired by real events and will feature several real life figures. If you are Chinese or have lived in China, feel free to correct me on historical and factual errors.

October 1st, 1949: Tiananmen Square, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

“Dear comrades! Today, I hereby declare the formal establishment of the People's Republic of China and its Central People's Government! “

Everyone at Tiananmen square stood and watched in complete awe as their dear leader spoke surrounded by his closest and most high-ranking politicians of the Chinese Communist Party to announce the establishment of a new nation. The audience was so large that it filled up several blocks of the city. Many were holding signs of portraits of the leader they watched speak to them from the top of the pagoda that towered above the large crowd of people. Workers and families from all over China had come to the capital to watch this significant historic event that would mark the beginning of a new era and shape the future of not just China but the entire world. It was truly a sight to behold. 

“The people throughout China have been plunged into bitter suffering and tribulations since the Chiang Kai-shek Kuomintang reactionary government betrayed the fatherland, colluded with imperialists, and launched the counter-revolutionary war. Fortunately, our People's Liberation Army, backed by the whole nation, has been fighting heroically and selflessly to defend the territorial sovereignty of our homeland, to protect the people's lives and property, to relieve the people of their sufferings, and to struggle for their rights, and it eventually wiped out the reactionary troops and overthrew the reactionary rule of the Nationalist government. Now, the People's War of Liberation has been basically won, and the majority of the people in the country have been liberated. On this foundation, the first session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, composed of delegates of all the democratic parties and people's organization of China, the People's Liberation Army, the various regions and nationalities of the country, and the overseas Chinese and other patriotic elements, has been convened. “

Madam Ya Zhou stood in the crowd watching as Chairman Mao Zedong held his speech in front of his nation. She couldn’t help but feeling guilt over all of this. She knew she could have prevented this from happening yet had chosen to sit back and do nothing about it. Even though Madam Ya didn't like the man or his political ideology, she couldn't help but admire his ability to hold a speech. It was almost as if she felt inspired to join his cause, even though he went against everything she and her people stood for. 

“...at the same time, the Central People's Government Council decided to declare to the governments of all other countries that this government is the sole legal government representing all the people of the People's Republic of China. This government is willing to establish diplomatic relations with any foreign government that is willing to observe the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty. “

Everyone in the crowd raised their fists and let out a loud cheer as Chairman Mao finished his speech. Madam Ya decided to do the same not to raise any suspicions. Then she nodded to a man with a mustache next to her. The man nodded back and together they walked out of the cheering mass of people to the nearest empty street corner where they grabbed each other’s hands and disappeared into thin air.  
.  
.  
.  
5th December 1949; Presidential Office Building, Taipei, Republic of China

“GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!”

A chair was aggressively thrown at the window towering of the garden outside the building, breaking the glass which was spread all over the floor. 

“Chiang Kai-Shek! Behave yourself! This is not the behavior worthy of a president!”

"I can’t believe it Mei-ling. I can’t believe it. I lost the war. I lost China. I lost everything. For who? An ugly, filthy communist bastard, ” the generalissimo shouted with tears running down his chins. 

His wife grabbed him by the uniform and responded to her husband with a sharp and stern voice;

“What’s the matter with you? You know better than to act like a spoiled child. The battle is not yet lost. We still have Taiwan province left and many of our soldiers are still in the Mainland fighting to the death for what’s right. Let us make the best of the situation and prepare our people for a future invasion. ”

The bald man was still stuttering and didn’t say anything for several minutes. Then he finally spoke. “You are right my love. The battle isn’t yet over. Mao and his followers can invade us all they want but we will stand our ground. We won’t flee or surrender when they come. Let’s call the White House and say we reject their offer of asylum. ”

“Now that is the spirit Jieshi. We were born in China and we shall die in China. It is better to die in battle than run away in fear. ”

Suddenly a bird, an oriental magpie, sat on the bench within the broken window observing the couple. 

Both Chiang Kai-Shek and Soong Mei-ling looked worryingly at the bird as if they recognized it from the past. The magpie flew towards them and then transformed into beautiful, slender women dressed in black robes and a diamond decorated diadem on her head.

“Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Chiang. It has been a long time since we last saw each other. ” 

Chiang Kai-Shek was furious and couldn’t utter anything but, “Ya Zhou!” Then he let out a scream and with a closed fist he charged at the woman with one very clear intent. 

Undeterred Madam Ya raised her left hand and sent the generalissimo flying several feet back crashing into the wall behind his back.  
“Did no one ever tell you that this is no way to treat a woman, Mr. Chiang?” She said holding him in her magical grip.

Click. 

“Get your cursed hands off my husband immediately, witch!”

Ya Zhou turned her head around and saw that Soong Mei-ling with her two hands pointed a gun at her. The witch quickly used legilimency at her and understood that the gun was indeed loaded. 

“Hiding a gun underneath your dress. That is either very clever or very paranoid of you Soong Mei-ling. ”

“You never know when it comes in handy, Madam Ya Zhou. Now release let my husband go or I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger. ”

“I could easily redirect the bullet if I wanted to, ” the witch said, trying to appear cool and confident.

“NOW!” Soong Mei-Ling shouted.

Madam Ya released Chiang Kai-Shek from her grip. As he fell on the floor the witch made another sweep with her left hand turning Soong Mei-Ling’s gun into ash. 

“This meeting started considerably worse than I hoped it would have done, ” Ya said. “Much has happened since we met last time, 5 years ago. How about we begin with a recap? ”

“How dare you show up at my residence? Had you lent your help in our fight against the communists we could’ve still spoken in Canton not here on this island, ” the nationalist president said as his wife helped him up from the floor.

“I hate communism just as much as you nationalists do. Next to religious fundamentalism, communism is the biggest threat to the wizarding world. But as Minister for Magic, I have to ensure our people don’t get tangled up in your battles. Had I intervened in any of your wars whether it be against the Empire of Japan or the Communist Party the Central Council of Harmony would’ve forced me to step down a long time ago. ”

“Then I assume we can not expect you to have our back when Mao comes for Taiwan? ” Chiang Kai-Shek uttered sarcastically.

“Unfortunately no. I have decided to resign from my position as Minister for Magic. 25 years in office have been more than enough for me. Perhaps I’ll apply for another term in the future but only time will tell if that'll happen. ”

“Sounds good. You were awful at your job. I sincerely hope your successor will be better, ” Chiang Kai-Shek remarked.

This man’s rude behavior made Ya Zhou feel truly sickened on the inside. His personality alone was one of the reasons she had avoided meeting him again since the end of the war with the Empire of Japan. The fact that he was a genocidal warlord who was no better than his red archenemy who ruled in Beijing, was another factor for Ya’s disdain for him. 

“How will you witches be affected by the red rule on the Mainland?” His wife asked the magical visitor.

“I was getting to that. First off we will ensure neither Mao Zedong nor anyone else who works within the Chinese Communist Party ever finds out about the existence of magic. We won’t take that risk. Children who are born in Putong families affiliated with the Party must be removed to special orphanages where they will be assigned which school they’ll attend when they turn 11. No new wizard-Putong marriages will be approved on the mainland. These new restrictions won’t however apply to wizards and witches who live here in Taiwan or Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet for that matter since neither one of said regions has yet fallen under Communist rule. Although I fear that won’t be the case for much longer. ”

“What you just said is something I can’t for the love of my nation understand. If you witches live separate from our world how come you still allow your people to marry non-magical people like me and my wife? ” Chiang Kai-Shek asked.

“It has to do with historical reasons Mr. Chiang. When we went underground during the late 17th century there were a lot of wizards and witches who protested against the new secrecy laws and refused to comply with the new world order due to having married non-magical people. To compensate the Ministries of Magic would continue to permit wizard-Putong marriages after the Statute of Secrecy on behalf that the Putong spouse was trustworthy enough not to spread the secrets of the magical world to anyone else. This does not however apply to all countries as I’ve recently demonstrated, ” the Chinese Minister for Magic explained. 

“That sounds rather contradictory to me, ” Soong Mei-Ling added. 

“Thrust me, Mrs. Chiang, it is, ” Madam Ya replied. “I was born in a mixed family in Canton with a wizard father and a witch mother. My childhood was interesting, to say the least. “

“But from now on there won’t be more witches like you born in the Mainland, ” Chiang Kai-Shek smugly remarked. 

“No. There won’t be if our new laws are enforced correctly. Anyway, this was my last meeting with both of you Chiang Kai-Shek and Soong Mei-Ling. I wish you well in the future and that what is left of the Republic of China will prosper under your leadership, ” Madam Ya said reluctantly bowing to the couple. 

Soong Mei-Ling bowed back to the witch before her husband did. 

“It has been an honor to know you too Madam Ya Zhou. I hope that you get re-elected to your current position in the future. ” She then looked at her husband who refused to bow.  
“Behave yourself, Jieshi. Don’t be rude now, ” Mei-Ling scolded him. 

The nationalist leader reluctantly made a quick bow in front of Madam Ya and said; “Thanks for nothing. I hope your successor will be more willing to cooperate. ”

“Before I go back to the Ministry in Shanghai I want to give you something, ” the witch said, putting her purse on the table. Out of the handbag, she took out a mid-sized portrait of a suit-wearing man with short grey hair and a mustache. 

"Please hold this, and be careful, " she said giving the portrait to Soon Mei-Ling who didn't know how to respond.

“Sun Yat-sen, ” Chiang Kai-Shek said looking at the portrait of his predecessor, the founder of Kuomintang, and the father of the Republic of China.

“Good evening, Chiang Kai-Shek!” The portrait responded to his shock. Soong Mei-Ling appeared just as shocked but didn’t let out a word.

“Sun Yat-Sen is that you? How is this possible?” the current president asked in confusion. Prior to past meetings with Madam Ya, he had been informed about her arrival through a coin with a protean charm placed on it. This was the first time he had interacted with a living portrait. 

“Chiang, you must understand that I am not the real Sun Yat-Sen. I am just a portrait enchanted to inform you about your future meetings with the Minister for Magic. You won’t be able to talk with me for most of the time, ” the portrait said before he froze to stillness.

“Sun Yat-sen please come back don’t leave me. I have so much I have to ask you, ” Chiang Kai-Shek desperately said, as tears ran down his chins, due to the nostalgia of meeting his old commander again. “Ya, do something. Make him come back. ”

The Minister for Magic who stood next to the broken window shook her head, looking at the pathetic recluse of a human being her non-magical counterpart was. 

“I’m sorry Mr. Chiang. I don’t have time to stay. Goodbye. ”

She turned back into a magpie and flew out of the presidential palace and raised to the sky, leaving Chiang Kai-Shek in his office, desperately shouting at her to come back.


	2. Ni Hao

Cho Chang sat on an airplane writing Chinese characters on a notepad. Nothing advanced only simple phrases that would help her and her daughter to get through the days they were to spend in China during the upcoming years. 

“We will soon be landing at Beijing International Airport, please fasten your seatbelts and prepare your arrival, Wǒmen jíjiāng dàodá běijīng. Qǐng xì hǎo ānquán dài bìng zhǔnbèi zhuo lù ”

Her daughter who was dressed in a black sweatshirt looked up on the roof annoyed that the stupid loudspeaker had interrupted the animated movie she was watching. Unlike most witches, this was neither Cho nor her daughter's first time in a jet plane.

She laid her right hand on her daughter’s as a calming gesture. “Don’t worry Ollie. Everything is going to be alright.”

Olivia looked at her mother with resentment as if she didn’t believe that statement, and Cho very much understood why that was. It was roughly a year ago since she and her Muggle husband, Martin, had settled for a divorce. 

They had married roughly a year after the war had ended. While she was legally allowed to expose the wizarding world for him right before the wedding, with the approval of the Ministry’s Departement of Wizard-Muggle Marriages, she had for some reason refused to. 

It all started the summer after she had graduated Hogwarts. One day her father Andrew Chang came home from work and informed that Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister for Magic had been killed by He-who-not-be-named and the Ministry had been taken over by the death eaters. Since Cho’s mother, Mei-ling a Muggleborn, their family would be prosecuted and taken to Azkaban. Hence, they quickly made up a plan to escape the country. 

They apparated to Edinburgh Airport to book a flight out of the country. It didn’t matter where. Through a series of confundus charms, they managed to book a flight to their home city of Hong Kong where they would be allowed to live with their relatives.

Unfortunately, just as they were about to board the plane Mei-Ling uttered the words that were not allowed to be spoken. “Hopefully Voldemort won't decide to expand his regime of terror outside Britain... ”

And just like that, a giant fire had broken out at the airport causing all flights to get canceled. Amid all the chaos, the death eaters appeared stunning all three of the family and apparated with them to an unknown location.

Once Cho opened her eyes she saw that she was tied up with her mother and father in a basement somewhere. Unable to move and scream for help, they were stuck while the death eaters ruthlessly tortured them one by one. They went the hardest for her mother due to her being a Muggleborn. Eventually, they stopped torturing them. One of the death eaters carried Mei-Ling over his back and gave her husband and daughter a warning. Mei-Ling would be taken to Azkaban for life and if Cho or Andrew made another attempt at fleeing the country or put up any kind of resistance against the new order, she would be sentenced to the dementor’s kiss. Andrew would continue to work as an Auror for the Ministry, but now directly under the authority of the Death Eaters. Their words became law for him and reluctantly he would agree to help them commit any act of terror they desired. 

During the year that followed Cho and her father were left living on their own at their apartment in Glasgow. Thomas now having no choice but to work for the death eater regime helped the dark forces arrest and kill any dissidents they could find. One day during winter her father had been reported dead by the Ministry. Apparently he had been killed by a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Bill Weasly, in self-defense, during an Auror's raid of their headquarters. That completely broke Cho's spirit. 

One part of her wished that her mother had died in Azkaban as many prisoners did. But it was not like her mother to take her own life. It would have certainly made things easier for Cho as she had no other wish than to take a stance against the death eater regime without literally risking her mother’s soul. She couldn't forgive the Order of the Phoenix for killing her father, either, even if was only in self-defense. So she eventually decided to continue doing nothing. 

At some point in May, a sign from above came. Harry Potter and his friends were reported to be at Hogwarts and everyone she knew since her school years and in the resistance had been called to fight off Voldemort’s forces and free the country of darkness. If they succeeded they could free her mother from Azkaban, assuming she was still alive. Her time as a bystander was over. 

Things worked out as planned. Voldemort died in the battle and Kingsley Shacklebolt became the new Minister for Magic. All the prisoners of Azkaban were freed, at least those who had survived. Luckily her mother was one of them. The death eaters had secured her cell so that suicide would’ve been impossible in case Cho and her dead father had broken their promise. Cho’s relief didn’t last for very long. While her mother had not been sentenced to the dementor’s kiss, she was not herself. She was stuck in some form of catatonia and would live the rest of her life at St. Mungos. No preventive measures seemed to help. Just one day after her release, her heart stopped working. It was like if she had been begging for death throughout the entire year but only now was she giving permission to “set her soul free.”

She took up various jobs in both the Muggle and the wizarding world but were unable to maintain anything for very long. Bad memories and self-loathing always came back to haunt her. One night she went alone to the local pub where she was approached by a Muggle, roughly 2 years older than herself. He told her that his name was ‘Martin Robinson” and after a few drinks started to tell a story about how he one day had found his parents dead in their home without any visible physical damage. Cho had a pretty clear idea of what had happened but decided not to tell him about her suspicions. They bonded over having recently lost their parents and talked all night long and exchanged each other's phone numbers (yes, she a witch, had one of those).

They met up many more times and finally decided to marry. Cho went back and forth in her head whether she would reveal that she was a witch to him. It wouldn’t have been illegal since the Ministry’s Department of Muggle-Marriage Regulations would likely have found him thrust worthy of carrying their secret. In the end, she decided not to. Her fear of abandonment was too great. She started to live a double life. Locking up her wand during the days and the nights and whenever Martin looked the other way she would practice magic and visit her old friends from Hogwarts. 

For some time this worked fine, and her husband had not shown any suspicions so far. Then Olivia was born and Cho’s worries increased. This would have been the time, to tell the truth, but she for some reason didn’t. For 7 years Olivia had not shown any signs of magic. However, one day when they were on a holiday in London, the young girl saw a sign where it stood “The Leaky Cauldron” and she asked her parents what it meant. Martin had no idea what she was talking about but Cho did. She managed to lie her way out that time but she wouldn’t be able to for much longer. A year later they got a phone call from their daughter’s principal who informed them that Olivia had set fire on one of her classmate’s clothes. 

Cho understood now that she no longer was able to maintain all the lies and finally told her husband and daughter the truth about everything. The wizarding world, Hogwarts, the war, the curse that had killed Martin’s parents, and more.

While Martin was skeptical and unsure about this reveal he was willing to accept it. Eventually, the lies and secrecy became too hard to bear which resulted in many late nights fights over what to do. Their marriage only kept falling apart until they agreed to have a Ministry official wipe his memories before he withdrew to the Muggle world leaving his former wife a single mother. 

This was a severe blow Cho who had not felt such a feeling of devastation since the death of her parents, years ago. To cope with her recent divorce and increasing feelings of loneliness and isolation, she began to dream of a different life and start anew somewhere else, ignoring her daughter’s pleas of staying in Glasgow and attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like she had dreamed of since she was revealed to be a witch.

So, China it was that became her first choice of travel. She willingly took up a mission at her job at the Daily Prophet to go to China for an undecided amount of time to write some reports about her experience and the difference between the local wizarding community and that of Britain. 

As the plane landed at the Beijing International Airport, Cho took out their hand baggage, a small traveling suitcase, and a backpack for Olivia. They walked out with the rest of the crowd out of the plane and into massive dome-shaped airports. It was far bigger than that one in London. 

Olivia didn’t say a word to her mother as they queued to the luggage control. As they came closer Cho switched on to “Muggle Worthy” at her blue traveling suitcase to hide its interior. Thanks to the undetectable extension charm no extra luggage was needed, although Olivia had insisted on carrying her backpack. 

Hopefully, the scanner wouldn’t go haywire on coming in contact with magic. Even though it had been any problem back in London, Cho still had her worries. Luckily, nothing happened and they were free to continue. ‘

They walked into the nearest women’s toilet, which they found next to a coffee shop and a fast-food restaurant. 

“If you want to go now’s your chance, ” Cho said to her daughter.

“No I’m fine, mum, ” he younger witch said as she pulled her hooded, grey down jacket out of her backpack. 

Once in a toilet cubicle, Cho opened her suitcase and revert it to wizard-mode revealing its expanded interior. She grabbed her wand which was within arm-reach and also dragged out a brown trench coat.

They walked through the long hallway and eventually came to a small train station which seemed to surprise Olivia a little. This airport had to be enormous if you needed a train to travel between the different sections of it. 

The younger witch looked on all the Muggles around her chatting in Mandarin, while completely oblivious to what they were talking about. “Can you understand what they’re saying, mum?”

“Only a little, ” Cho said. She used to speak Mandarin from time to time with her mother when she was young but due to lack of use of the language, her proficiency in speaking had declined drastically as she grew up. 

That was something that needed to be changed, Cho had determined since she decided to move abroad. The sorting hat had not been wrong to put her in Ravenclaw, she was sure of that. 

Once they stepped out of the building, they were met with the cold weather which was comparable to that of Scotland’s though the snowy landscape wasn’t nearly as clean and beautiful as it was back home in the highlands. Here it was more grey and slushy. 

Luckily she managed to catch a taxi amid all the traffic. She and Olivia jumped into the backseat.

“Forbidden City!” 

She was not certain if the cab driver could speak English or not but that he seemed to understand. Without any further questions, he recklessly drove away without looking.

The skinny man looked at them through the driving mirror. 

“Nǐ shì Xianggang rén ma?” He asked whether or not they were from Hong Kong, which he may have assumed due to the witch calling him in English. If so that wouldn’t be entirely wrong since she was born in Hong Kong until she moved to Scotland when she was five years old. 

Cho needed time to recall her time studying Mandarin at home to come up with an answer. 

“Mei you, wǒmen láizì sūgélán. Wǒ de zǔfù shì xiānggǎng rén, “ she corrected him. “Nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?”

“Mei you, wǒ bù huì shuō yīngyǔ, ” He answered confirming that he couldn’t speak English. 

The witch did not want to continue this conversation since she wasn’t proficient enough in Mandarin to able to hold a conversation.

She thought back on her childhood when she visited Beijing with her family when she was around Olivia's age. However, due to special circumstances, they were forced to leave the city not long after they had arrived. However, she had repeatedly come back to both Beijing and Hong Kong since her family moved to Scotland. The latter was a place she truly loved to visit. The atmosphere, the skyline, everything about that city was truly magnificent.

Beijing on the other did not give her the same feeling. Perhaps it was her general mood nowadays. Perhaps it was that she had visited many countries to be impressed. Either way, looking out of the window, she got a somewhat dystopian feeling. As if this move abroad would not be the new start she had hoped for.

After a 20-minute drive, they had reached their destination. “Duōshǎo qián?” Cho asked as Olivia walked out of the car. 

“Sānshí yuán!”

She picked up 30 yuan from her pocket and gave it to him and said; “Xie Xie Ni!”

Cho and Olivia looked around the square which is not so crowded as any of them had expected. The foggy, grey weather didn’t exactly make for an optimal day for tourism.

“Well, Olivia. Welcome to Tiananmen square, the Gate of Heavenly Peace.”

The daughter did not reply and instead silently absorbed the grey and mysterious atmosphere. For Cho, this place only brought back some truly horrific memories.

She turned around and saw Zhongnanhai, the building of the National People's Congress, situated on the other end of the road. Cho thought of visiting it at some point but not now. They had other things to do for the moment. 

As they walked over the bridge and closer to the gates of the Forbidden City, Olivia asked; “Mom, who’s that man?” 

She pointed at the large painting that hanged from the pagoda that stood in front of them. 

Not sure what to answer, her mother replied; “That man on the painting; He was the…. uhm the leader of the Chinese Muggles, a long time ago. ”

“He seems like a nice person. ” 

Luckily the queue to the entrance wasn’t as long as Cho had feared. After paying the entrance fee, of 40 yuan they were with a huge courtyard that encompassed the outer part of the ancient city. 

“Mom, how are we allowed to be here if it is called the ‘Forbidden’ City.”

Cho didn’t know how to answer that question properly either. 

“Originally this city was served as the home of the Muggle emperor of China and was forbidden. That was until roughly 100 years ago when China reformed to….something else. ”

“What happened with China 100 years ago?”

Her mother took a deep breath and answered; “A revolution happened. People weren’t happy with living under the rule of an emperor. So they overthrew him and made China a republic. ”The Republic of China” as it was called. Then the Japanese came and invaded the country.” 

“The Japanese Muggles or the Japanese wizards?”

“The Muggles only. Wizarding nations are not allowed to declare war against each other, ” the older witch explained. 

“But what about Voldemort?”

“You-know-who... sorry I meant Voldemort, was a British threat only.”

“Okay, but did the Chinese wizards help the Muggles in fighting the Japanese?”

“From what I’ve heard from my grandma, yes they did indeed. But they did so against the law so they couldn’t take it as far as necessary. ”

“Amazing!”

They walked through another set of gates and stepped into the inner parts of the national landmark where they stepped inside some smaller pagoda buildings to take some photos with Martin’s old Muggle camera. 

Amidst all the Muggles who were dressed in casual clothes like jeans, winter jackets one seemingly old person stuck out by his peculiar choice of clothes. Green robes, with patterns, shaped formed as Japanese characters. 

The man walked towards a 5-store pagoda-like any other. The building was surrounded by tapes and a sign where it stood; “Guānbì jìnxíng zhuāngxiū, Closed for renovation.” Some men dressed in the same uniforms as the guards at the airport appeared to be guarding the building. The robed man took something out of his pocket and showed it to one of the guards who let him within the closed area. 

“Come, Ollie. I believe we’ve found what we’re looking for, ” the mother said with a revelation. 

She went to one of the guards and showed her ID-card like the man before did. 

“Zhè shì mófǎ bù zǒngbù ma?” Cho asked.

“Gēnzhe wǒ, ” the guard said, lifting the tapes to let them in and led them to a set of stairs that were engraved underneath the closed main gates of the pagoda. 

He touched his right hand on the door handle and the door swung open which paved for a staircase. 

Without saying a word closed the door behind them. 

Cho and Olivia walked up the stairway, the wooden crackling, and their weight as they went on. 

After walking for a while, the passageway gradually opened up into a balcony with the most awe-inspiring view the two of them had seen in a long time. This pagoda was at least three times bigger than one were led to believe from the outside. Enormous stone pillars covered in turquoise jade vaulted at least 15 stories above the ground. Long rows of artworks and moving imageries covered the walls, with small openings peeking through for some small windows where one could spot the unsuspecting tourists on the outside. 

Owls, hawks, and other birds of prey flew around delivering letters and packages to magicians that were working in their respective offices. 

Amid the auditorium there 4 giant statues. 2 old wizards and witches holding up a green and a blue flame in the hands respectively. The third statue portrayed a long snake-like dragon who spiraled up from the ground, with a red fire burning in its mouth. The forth portrayed a phoenix with two yellow flames in its eyes.

All Olivia could get out was a simple “Wow.”

“Well Ollie, welcome to the Chinese Ministry of Magic.”

“This place... it is so much bigger than the one we have at home in the UK, ” her daughter stated. 

“It sure is. These Chinese you know. They’re quite good at building things, ” Cho said as they walked down the stairs to the ground floor. 

The auditorium was crowded with people. While many as expected dressed in conservative and stylish robes as if they walked out of a time machine from the days of Kublai Khan, many also dressed modern Muggle fashion like suits, neckties, jeans, down jackets, etc, which made Cho curious even more curious about their history with the local Muggles. 

On the other end of the building, a massive portrait of a centuries-old witch dressed in a black coat, whom Cho recognized as the current Chinese Minister for Magic, Madam Ya Zhou was enchanted next to the wall.

There was also a massive globe made of magical dust levitating in the midst of the auditorium. All countries of the fake globe were in green except for the ones that encompassed Wizarding China, which was covered in red. Much like the magical community of the British Isles, the magical borders didn't correspond fully to that of its Muggle counterpart.

She began to look for any signs that could lead them to the immigration office. Unfortunately, unlike at the airport and the tourist attractions within the Forbidden City, none of the signs was translated into English. Not even pinyin, which made it extra hard for Cho to understand anything. It was all written in Chinese characters. 

Even though Cho knew it wouldn’t work, she picked up her flip phone. But like she suspected it didn’t start, despite nearly having full battery ten minutes earlier. 

She walked towards an old man who sat on a bench, reading some scrolls. “Dui bu qi? Ni hui bang zhu wo?” The Scottish witch said asking for help. 

“Xing le, ” the bearded warlock said. 

“Ni zhi dao...” Cho stopped. How in the name of Merlin did one say “immigration” and “office” in Mandarin? 

“Ni shuo ying yu ma?” She asked, already knowing what the answer would be. 

“Mei you, ” he said shaking his head. 

“Gǎnxiè nín de bāngzhù, ” she said thanking him for taking his time and turned her back away embarrassed. 

“Den yi xa, ” the man halted her and pointed towards one guard who was dressed in imperial armor. “Wen tamen,” he said urging her to ask them instead. 

She nodded and walked to the nearest guardian. He appeared to be a young man, straight out of wizarding school, and looked quite silly in his ancient armor while carrying a staff and a long dagger as weapons. 

“Excuse me do you speak English?” Cho asked. “We need help. Women xu yao bang zhu. ”

The young man just looked at her confused. Has was not sure how to answer. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but can I help you, “ Cho heard an accented English voice from behind. 

It was a middle-aged, glasses-wearing man dressed in a tieless Muggle suit. 

Finally, someone who could speak English, she thought for herself. 

“Yes thank you very much. I and my daughter are looking for the immigration office, ” the Scottish witch said relieved of her stress. 

“Hmm, that is a long way. You see we have possibly the largest headquarters of any magical government in the world. Allow me to show you the way, ” he said. 

“How kind of you. I am relieved that someone here can speak English. ”

“Yes mainlanders do not exactly have any need to speak English, but I know that from my brother in Shenzhen that our Putong neighbors are catching up, ” the suit-wearing wizard remarked as he led them across the auditorium. 

“The 'Putong’ What does that mean?” Olivia wondered.

“‘Putong” or 'Ordinary, general' as it is translated to in English is how we refer to those with no magic. Such as my brother and my parents.”

“We just call them ‘Muggles.’”

“All countries have their own terms for non-magical people, ” Cho explained to her daughter. 

“Can I ask where in Britain are you from?" The man asked. "London, perhaps?"

“No absolutely not. We're from Glasgow, Scotland. And can I just take a quick guess and say you are from Hong Kong?”

“Exactly how did you know?"

"From what I know, all Hong Kong citizens can speak English. I was born there myself. My family moved to Scotland when I was 5 years old. My dad used to work as an Auror in Hong Kong. However, during one exchange mission in Shanghai, he seriously overstepped himself and broke the Statute of Secrecy in front of the Muggle police, causing him to lose his job. Everything seemed lost until one day when he was given an offer by the British Ministry of Magic, to work for them instead, for a higher salary. Many Aurors died during the First British Wizarding War, so our Ministry was in desperate need of new employees. Besides, my father got into a sort of quarrel with the local triads who began to threaten our family. So to keep me and my mother safe, he decided to take up this job offer and move abroad. ”

“Interesting, I learned about the British wizarding wars when I was studying at Fenghuang Academy. Is it still taboo to say that bleached pureblood-supremacist name? ”

“No. nowadays we call him ‘Voldemort‘ or as some of my friends’ say ‘Tom Riddle’, which was apparently his real name. ”

“Fascinating, I didn’t know that. ”

The suit-wearing ‘Putongborn’ lead to a small locomotive train, like the one you would find on a Muggle Tivoli, that would take them to the immigration department. 

Both Cho and Olivia were surprised that the wizard continued to sit next to them. 

The former Ravenclaw glanced at him as the train started moving. 

“Where are you going?”

“To the Putong surveillance department. It is on the way you’re heading to.”

“The Putong what?” Olivia uttered confused.

“Well, you see young girl that historically the magical community of China took the Statute of Secrecy very lightly in comparison to you in the west. Wizards and witches used to marry, befriend and recklessly expose magic to Putong with little to no punishment. But roughly 60 years ago things changed and we became more and more separate from our non-magical neighbors. Wizards like me ensure that traces of magic disappears from the hindsight of the Putong Communist Pa... ”

His words were interrupted when Olivia saw the magnificent landscape they passed through. It was like a city underneath a city. Hundreds of Pagodas at least 20 meters long each stretched from the roof to the floor, in which you could see the Ministry’s employee’s work inside.

“It is quite a sight ain’t it? I remembered when I visited the Ministry's headquarters for the first time when I was on a school trip. That was when I knew where I wanted to work. My Putong parents didn’t like my career choice exactly but here I am. ”

“Did you say school? How are schools in China?” Olivia asked curiously.

“I can only speak for one. My alma mater, the Fenghuang Academy, in the Kunlun Mountain Range in the western parts of China. It takes thousands upon thousands of children all over China as well as from other countries like Malaysia and Singapore for example. Like nearly all schools in Mainland China, the curriculum is taught exclusively to perform magic without a wand. So if you’ve gotten used to practicing magic with a wand at Hogwarts you better let go of that now. ”

“That is no problem. Olivia is just 10 so she never went to Hogwarts, and I knew about your preference of wandless magic, so I never took her to Ollivander’s.”

“How do you perform magic without a wand? I’ve never seen mom do it.”

“Look at this kid,” he said holding his hand open.

“Huoli”

A magical fire was conjured above his hand and shifted into all colors of the rainbow. 

“Soon you will be able to do the same thing, “ the man assured her. 

Cho suddenly got a feeling of inferiority. In Europe only the most powerful wizards, witches could perform wandless spell casting proficiently, but here even toddlers could do it. The thought of her daughter becoming more powerful than herself in only a year or so was not a pleasant one. 

“Here’s my department. Yours are three stops from here, ” he said. Then he took out a notepad from his suit, put his hand on the paper, magically forming a text. He ripped the paper and gave it to Cho. ”Bye, it was to meet you. Zai Jian!” He said closing his eyes and floated through his seat and the railway like a ghost walking through a wall, and landed safely on the ground 10 meters under. 

Cho looked at the paper. It was his name and phone number.

“’ Travis Liyong’, Did he think he had made a new friend or something?”

“I dunno. He seemed nice.”

Three stops later they walked off the train and into a pagoda that stretched up to the roof. 

Here some signs were translated into English and other languages. 

At the other end of the room, there was a reception.

They took a queue ticket and waited next to a family of Indians that made Cho think of the Patil sisters from her school days. If she remembered correctly both of them made a similar journey back to their family in Bombay, India. 

10 minutes later it was their turn to go to the receptionist. They were lead into another room where they signed a whole bunch of scrolls about the purpose of their move, the right to do journalism, amongst other things. 

Once they were finished with all the scrolls the receptionist said in broken English: "Thank you and welcome to Beijing. I hope you enjoy your stay. "

"We will, " Cho replied. 

The receptionist handed her a piece of paper. It looked like a Brochyr and was to Cho's relief written in English.

"This is a guidebook for tourists and newcomers. In it, you will find all the necessary things you need to know about the wizarding community of Beijing. "

"Thank you so much. Also, your English is great. "

They took the train back to the auditorium and walked out of the Chinese Ministry of Magic headquarters.

"So Ollie do you want to continue sightseeing?"

"No, I want to eat. I'm hungry! "

"Okay, there's a wizarding street not too far away, " Cho said looking at the brochure the receptionist at the immigration department had handed her.

They went down into the nearest subway station and just like at the airport needed to have their baggage checked so the witches switched their bags onto "Muggle worthy"-Mode once again. 

"Look for a sign with a dragon on it, Ollie, " Cho said once they got down into the crowded subway alley. A new train passed every minute and they needed to get onto the right one. 

"There!" She said pointing at a sign with a dragon decoration, that hanged from the roof. The sign read "63-魔术城."

"It has to be it. "

Train 63 arrived and was as expected, completely overcrowded. But just three stations later most people had walked off. 

"GAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Olivia let out a big scream.

"Shhh, What are you...."

The fat man in business clothing that sat at the seats a few meters away now transformed his head into that of a pig's. The man snapped his fingers making his baggage fly next to him. Then he turned his hands into hoves.

"Oh, " Cho reacted confused and slightly disgusted.

"Yúchǔn de nǚhái. Méi jiànguò zhū rén ma?" The pig man said as he walked to the exit.

"Wǒmen xiànzài dàodá Huangdi zhī chéng, " they heard the speaker say but unlike at the other stations, it wasn't followed up in English.

They walked out of the train and out into the town of magic. 

It was like stepping into another world. The outlook of the town was similar to that of the forbidden city but more magical. Like something out of a fantasy movie set in ancient times. 

The street was crowded with people dressed in traditional clothing. Musicians and acrobats scraped for money on the sidewalks. People were selling food out in the open, which would be illegal in the non-magical parts of Beijing. 

"Kind of like Diagon alley isn't it? " Cho remarked. 

"Yes but I like this more, " Olivia answered. 

"What do you want to eat? Noodles? Rice? Duck?"

"DOG!"

"Don't be ridiculous that is just a stereotype. "

"No look over there! " 

Cho look horrified at a half-naked man who was cooking a skinned chihuahua over a green fire. He waved creepily at the Scottish witches. So it wasn't a stereotype after all. At least not in the wizarding world. 

"Okay let's go, Ollie. "

"Why do Chinese wizards eat dogs?"

"I'm sure not all do, " Cho said not wanting to talk more about the subject. "Let's go and find a restaurant where we can find something more normal to eat. "

They found a cozy little restaurant (that hopefully didn't serve dogs).

They sat next to a table and checked the menu. Nothing was written in English. These Chinese wizards really did not like westerners, Cho thought for herself. 

"So what do you want to eat?"

"Noodle and chicken, " Ollie said looking at the menu.

"I take the same then. "

A waiter came to their table.

"Women yao er ge..."

Cho had forgotten how to say anything food-related so she had to point at the pictures instead. 

"Xing le, " the waiter nodded and went into the kitchen and almost immediately made a plate with their own levitate to their table.

Their food was finished almost immediately and was now serving itself on a levitating plate. There were no forks and knives. Only chopsticks and spoons. Luckily they had both eaten on Chinese Muggle restaurants back in Britain so it wasn't an issue.

"How was it living in Hong Kong, mom?"

"I don't have many memories of living there. My family moved out when I was only 5 after all. But I've visited the place a few times since. Both with my parents and your dad. Hong Kong is a truly magical city, indeed, and much more similar to Great Britain. "

"Do they use wands over there "

"At the school which my parents attended they use wands. Practicing magic without one are only optional over there, not the norm. My father could however perform some basic spells wandlessly due to it being required as an Auror. "

"But how this works? Why can't you perform magic without a wand? I can do magic without a wand."

"But you cannot control your magic at will. As my father explained it to me. If you grow up performing magic with a wand you will lose the ability to produce wandless magic, unless you work extremely hard to regain that skill. But someone who has never used a wand will have it much easier. It is a sacrifice so to speak. It is like learning a new language. I used to able to speak Mandarin fairly well. As well as a 5-year-old toddler could that was. But since I moved to Scotland and attended Hogwarts I've basically lost my skills in the language because the need for using it wasn't there any longer. "

"It sounds complicated. "

"It sure is. Now eat up your noodles. We have much to do. "

Once they had finished eating Cho called for the waiter.

She took up her wallet and realized that she had only renminbi, the Muggle currency. 

"Nǐ jiēshòu rénmínbì ma?"

"Méiyǒu! Wǒmen zhǐ jiēshòu yù yuán hétóng fěn!" The waiter said angrily.

Goddammit. They only accept the magical currency. 

"Dui bu qi, Women shi Ying Wen ren, " the Scottish witch said trying to excuse herself. 

"Wǒ bùzàihū!"

The waiter didn't seem to care the least about them being foreigners. She would only accept Chinese magical currency. 

Cho looked around the restaurant to see if someone was interested in helping them but that wasn't the case since everyone ignored her and continued eating.

Olivia looked quite embarrassed that her mother hadn't thought of exchanging currency. 

Then she got an idea. She picked up the brochure and saw that there was a bank nearby. 

"Nǐ kěyǐ zài děng yī huǐ ma?" Cho said pointing at the bank.

"Xing le, dànshì yào gǎnkuài, fǒuzé wǒ huì dǎ diànhuà gěi jiānhùrén, " the waiter said somewhat frustrated but she agreed to Cho's suggestion.

"Please wait here Ollie I'll be back. I just have to exchange some money at the local bank!"

"But mom, " Olivia said worrisome as her mother left her in the restaurant with the angry waiter.

She ran out on the street looking for any signs that could lead her to the bank. 

"Dui bu qi. Ni zhi dao zhe ge?" Cho asked some by standing teenagers, pointing at the picture of the bank at the brochure. 

They point ahead without any interest in actually helping her.

"Xie Xie ni, " Cho said half-heartedly and kept running. 

She across the district bumping into many crowds on the way until she finally found the bank. 

"Dà lóng yínháng, 'The Bank of the Great Dragon', " Cho murmured for herself.

It was a large pagoda building with a massive dragon statue attached to the roof. The entrance was guarded by some living lion sculptures covered in green jade metal.

The jade lions roared as the Scottish witch entered the building. 

The auditorium of the Great Dragon bank was significantly larger than the Gringotts bank in London.

It was yet another truly astounding sight to behold. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, were all covered in gold. 

No goblins were to be found and all employees appeared to be human. Some dressed in banking suits others in traditional fancy robes from ancient times. 

"Dui bu qi ni bang zhu wo ma?" Cho awkwardly said as she asked one of the employees for help.

"You don't need to make a fool of yourself. We dragons know all languages, " the employee responded in English much to her surprise.

"Sorry did you say dragon? Are you a dragon?"

The man's eyes started to glow and through a whirlwind of dust, he turned into 3 meters tall, wingless, white dragon.

"Does this answer your question?"

"Y-yes, " she answered slightly terrified and the dragon turned back into his human form. 

"Where I come from, dragons usually don't speak. "

"Don't confuse me with those primitive beasts of the west. I'm not just a dragon. I am a dragon spirit. We are an entirely different species. Most people of your sort have not grasped that fact. Now, what can I help you with? "

"I need help with exchanging currency. I recently arrived from Britain you see and I need to get some jade. "

"England you say? You don't sound like any Englishmen I have met before. Your voice sounds different somehow. "

"I am from Scotland. It is not the same as England, " Cho answered frustrated.

"Well, it is still the same country. I met a wizard from England once a long time ago. He was quite an awkward man who took great interest in my species and wanted to write about us in a book to which I declined. Perhaps most interestingly he carried a box of seemingly infinite space, " the dragon spirit kept talking to her annoyance. "Please Mr. Dragon Spirit I don't have time! My daughter is waiting for me!" "How rude, we've just met. But, but...Grab my arm!" The mystical creature said with an annoyed expression. 

She did as the dragon said and grabbed his arm and disapparated to another part of the building. 

"Here you can exchange currency. Good luck!" The dragon spirit said and vanished into thin air. 

After Cho had exchanged money from Muggle renminbi to jiaozi and copper cash, she took the elevator out of the building and disapparated back to the restaurant where she paid the waiter for their meal.

"Sorry that it so long time, " she said to Olivia. 

"It is okay mom. "

They took the train out of the Huangdi District.

"We are now arriving at Wanjing station. "

"We are here, " Cho said.

Finally, they had arrived at their new home.

They passed through the gates and were greeted by some guards as they walked into the building.  
The mother and daughter stepped into an elevator and clicked on the 27th floor.

Cho knocked on the door to one of the apartments. The door opened and they were greeted by an old man in his 80s. 

“Cho, my granddaughter. It is great to see you again, ” he said in broken English. 

“Grandpa Yoon. It’s been so long, ” Cho said embracing her old Muggle grandfather with a hug.


	3. Assimilation

“How do you say; “‘Hi my names are Olivia Chang and I am from Scotland, UK?’” Grandpa Yoon asked his great-granddaughter. 

“Ni hao! Wo jiao Olivia Chang. Wo laizi ying guo. ”

“Shen me shuo; Scotland?”

“Wo bu zhi dao?”

“Da’an shi Sugelan. ”

“Ni neng shudao ershi ma?” The old Muggle asked. 

“Yi. Er. San. Si. Wu. Liu. Ji. Ba Jiou. Shi. Shi Yi. Shi Er. Shi San. Shi Si....” Olivia counted.

They continued practicing until her mother opened the door to the apartement. 

“How is it going grandpa? Are you making progress?”

“It is going great Cho. Your daughter is learning very quickly, ” 

Despite the difficulties, Olivia was persistent to learn the language. The Ravenclaw mentality ran through the family. If she didn’t learn the language she would not be able to attend any wizarding school. Whether it be a prestigious boarding institute or a local day school. Cho took out a book from her bag and gave it to her daughter. The book cover was in black and white and portrayed a handsome bald man in a military outfit, bowing together with a young lady in exotic witches’ robes and a diadem on her head. “I got a present for you from during my brunch with Travis today. If you’re bored, read this book he gave me. “Wizard and Putong relationships in China and East Asia.” It will help you immensely once the school season begins. “ “Okay I don’t have anything else to do here, ” her daughter answered .  
.  
Cho apparated on the snowy streets of the Huangdi District late in the evening. The Alley was glowing and full of people as usual. Buddhist monks walked around trying to collect money for charity. There were even living snow leopards and tigers on the streets, although they could’ve just been animagi.

Olivia and her grandfather had gone to bed already and she needed some space alone. The entire afternoon had been spent trying to write an article for The Daily Prophet but was stuck through a writer’s block. She needed to explore much more of the city to inspired that was for sure.

Despite that Christmas was close there was no feeling of the Christmas spirit at all here, unlike at Diagon Alley during this time of the year. However the Muggle parts of the city there were some holiday decorations but not much.

She took out a pair of cigarettes from her green parka and lit it with the help of her wand. It was her former husband Martin who had taught her to smoke. Both of her parents had grown up as addicts and thus strictly forbidden her from smoking or consuming alcohol so she would not repeat the same mistakes as they had. Cho had not lived up to that following the parent’s deaths. Trying to quit felt nearly impossible after everything that had happened recently.

A flying car flew above her and landed on a rooftop parking spot for other flying vehicles. Cho had long wanted to buy a flying car herself but she had not been able to afford that since her divorce.

Walking around the Huangdi District exploring, Cho came across a golden statue of a smiling man sitting in a chair. Families walked by and put roses in front of it. The statue seemed somewhat familiar as if she had seen it before. It had to be Sun Yat-Sen, the first Muggle president of the Republic of China. Her father had told her about him and described him as a great man. A symbol of freedom and progress in the Muggle world. It was a bit foreign to Cho that wizards had built a statue of a Muggle leader. The thought of British wizards building a statue of someone like Winston Churchill in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley was unthinkable. This Sun Yat-Sen had to have been of great importance for the Chinese wizards to have deserved this honor.

On the sidewalk she saw a shop that sold the ”Sleekeazy Hair Potion” which was invented by her ex-boyfriend’s grandfather Fleamont Potter and which was produced here in China.

The snow was falling and it started to get cold and the Scottish witch felt the need to go inside somewhere. Cho walked into a seemingly cozy night bar and once inside she accidentally stepped on the tail of a sleeping dog.

She gasped as the big wolf-like dog who barked aggressively at her. Many of the bar’s visitors were laughing at the scene.  
“Sasha! xiànzài tuìsuō!” A female bartender with short brown hair, and dragon tattoos on her arms came forward and made the large dog back down.

“Nǐ hěn bèn ma? nǐ méi kàn dào tā zài shuìjiào ma?” The bartender than shouted at Cho trying to scold her.

“Dui buqi. Wo de zhongwen bu hao. Wo shi ying wen ren, ” Cho nervously replied in broken Mandarin.

“You’re English?” She asked confused.

“No, I am Scottish. ”

“That is the same thing right?”  
“No, we are two separate countries that are both parts of the United Kingdom. At least in the Muggle world. In the wizarding... eh, whatever. They’re not the same okay!” Cho said.

“Scottish or English, it is not often we see people from the west in Beijing. Have a seat.”

Cho sat next to the bar desk looking at the menu. She didn’t understand a word.

“I'll take the cheapest beer you have.”  
The bartender snapped her fingers and summoned a glass and bottle of beer, and made the glass fill itself.

Cho took a slurp.

Merlin's underpants, that tasted poorly, she thought quietly for herself.  
“What brings a ‘Scottish’ like you to China. Do you have any relatives here?”

“Yes, I live with my putong grandpa. I am a journalist working for the Daily Prophet and I am here to compare the local wizarding community with that of Britain. ”

“A journalist, you say. You better get another job, because witches like you won’t survive for long here. ”

“Is that true? ”

“Oh yes. Our Ministry likes to boast about how much better it is than its communist Putong government here on the Mainland but they aren’t that different. If you’re not careful about what you are to write, you may very well end up in a prison amid the empty deserts of the East Turkestan Autonomous Region in the western parts of the country. ”

That made Cho extremely nervous.

“I have thought a lot about getting another job. Do you have any need for some new employees here? ” Cho asked the bartender.  
The tattooed lady just laughed.

“You mean you want to work here? First, you need to speak fluent Mandarin and I am pretty sure you don’t. For the second we are not desperate for new workers. If you want to get a job here in the Mainland you’d better move to Shanghai. They are a bit more foreign-friendly over there. ”

“I believe it is too late to move somewhere else now, ” the Scottish witch said disappointed.

“Can I have another drink, please. ”

The bartender snapped her fingers and summoned a bottle of red wine and filled a new glass.

“You speak very good English. Do you mind if I ask where you come from? ”

“My mother, who is a “Putong”, forced me to learn English. Playing a lot of American video games with my non-magical neighbors also helped. ”

“A ‘Putong', a Muggle. Your mom was a Muggle. I thought Wizard-Muggle marriages had become illegal all over China, since the late 1940s. ”

“No, that only applies to the Mainland. Not in Taiwan where I come from or Hong Kong, which share the same secrecy laws as the west, which means that witches and wizards are permitted to marry any Putong as long they are considered trustworthy enough by the Ministry to keep our world a secret, ” the bartender explained.

“Oh yes. That's correct. Forgot about that. ”

“Which wizarding school did you attend?. Was it Hogwarts? It has to be Hogwarts. ”

“That’s right. We didn't have much of an option in Britain. Not that I complained. Hogwarts was an amazing school. Just a bit lax on the safety. Very lax on the safety actually, coming to think about it.”

“What house were you in. I know Hogwarts categorizes students based on personality traits just like my alma mater Mahoutokoro did. I was in the clan for the curious and adventurous. ”

“Then you would’ve fit in Gryffindor at Hogwarts. I was in Ravenclaw myself. The House of wit and intelligence. However, I wouldn’t say we categorize based on the students ‘personality traits’ so to speak. It is more about what you value. The hat can see into your soul. It probably knows more about me than I know. "

"That sounds very creepy."

"My parents made me understand the importance of knowledge and studies. They even made me go to Muggle school before I attended Hogwarts. “

“That’s interesting. That would be unthinkable here in China for anyone who’s not Putong-born.”

“It is not often that happens in Britain either but I am thankful for it. So when I arrived at Hogwarts the sorting hat knew that I wanted to be in Ravenclaw and fulfilled my wish. How does the sorting go at your alma mater? ”

“All kids are interviewed by older members of the 6 clans and asked a series of questions. Then the older students discussed where would fit best based on the answers. ”

“So do they use wands at Mahoutokoro?” Cho asked, taking another sip of wine.

The bartender showed Cho her wand.  
“Cherry wood, twelve inches long with a core consisting of a tengu feather. Bought it in Taipei when I was 11. ”

“Cool.”

“Since Japan opened its gates to the western world in the mid 19th century, all Japanese wizards began to use wands. Even though Mahoutokoro decided to preserve some of the island’s indigenous magic the education has become very similar to that of the wizarding schools in Europe and the United States. Only the most powerful students at Mahoutokoro can rely entirely on wandless magic unlike at let’s say Fenghuang Academy here in China where everyone can do it. I didn’t really get good at doing magic without a wand until I moved to the Mainland as an adult. ”

“Perhaps you could teach me. I have a lot of catching up on that front as well, ” Cho suggested while feeling dizzy due to the alcohol she was consuming.

“Dream on, girl ” the bartender replied smiling. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Cho. Cho Chang. And what's yours?" "Himari. Chow-Long Himari. It's a pleasure to meet you, Cho. "  
.  
Olivia laid in her bed bored and unable to sleep. She had felt restless for most of the day. Her feelings were that of betrayal. How could her father have chosen to leave her and forget who she truly was? Why couldn’t mother have been honest with him? Then none of this would have happened. The family would have been well and whole home in Glasgow. Instead, she had been forced by her mother to leave everything and move to the other side of the globe. 

Why did mother do this to me? I had a fine life at home.

The fact that she was a witch didn’t bother her. Since Olivia was exposed to her magic she had wanted to know more about the wizarding world. She had eagerly waited for her Hogwarts letter. But now she was not going to get that. Her education now depended on learning a new language she had no experience in before. Learning Mandarin was nothing like English and it felt like it would take an eternity until she would be able to speak it fluently.

She got tired of lying in the bed doing nothing and decided to go out and explore as her great grandmother was sleeping. Olivia put on her winter clothes, grabbed her phone, and walked out of the apartment.  
Outside their apartment, she saw that someone had placed a number of papers. She picked one of them and saw on the front page a half-naked woman in a bikini who sucked on a cherry. Turning the pages, she saw that there were plenty of more disgusting pictures of naked witches in weird positions.

“Ew, ” she uttered and threw the paper away in the dirty corridor.  
In the hallway there was a group of Muggles in their 20s with a stereo, playing rock music. It appeared like they were going to have a party here on this floor. One of the pierced women smiled creepily at the younger witch who backed off and ran towards the elevator in fear.

She decided to call one of her best friends back home. Klara was the name of her best friend in Muggle primary school. After Olivia’s powers were revealed, she had to explain to Klara that she would be going to a fancy boarding school in the countryside once she turned 11 but that they would still see each other on the holidays. But as the situation looked now, Olivia wasn’t even sure that would be possible.

Klara answered almost immediately after Oliva called her.

“Ollie! How are you?”

“I miss you, ” was all Olivia could say.

“I miss you too. How’s China?”

“It is very different from home. I can’t access facebook any longer. ”

“That’s sad. I looked forward to chatting with you. Mom says it is expensive to call you on the other side of the globe. Have you made any new friends? ”

“No. Barely anyone here can speak English. ”

“Haven’t you begun school yet? I know people who have gone to English speaking schools in China. ”

“My mom is still trying to find a school for me, ” Olivia said knowing that she was forbidden from telling the whole truth.  
The elevator reached the ground floor and Olivia walked out of the building while talking with her friend.

As she was going to pass through the quarter gates a guard came and approached her.

“Ni de ma ma zai nar?” He asked.

“I have to go now. I call you again tomorrow, ” Olivia said to her.

“Ok. Goodbye. Please take care of yourself, ” Klara said and finished the call.

The guard was a young man in his 20s. He looked down curiously on her.  
“Ni de ma ma zai nar?” He asked her again.

“Ting bu dong, ” Olivia answered using one of the first words in Mandarin she had learned. “I don’t understand.”

“Where’s your mom?” The guard repeated.

“I don’t know, ” She answered.

“Where are you going?”

“Not far. Just around the quarter. ”

“Okay. Watch out for the traffic. ”

The little witch ventured out on her own in the streets of Beijing. The city was much mightier at night time than during the day when it would come up as slightly depressing. Olivia used to think that London was a big bustling city but it didn’t hold a candle to the Chinese capital in terms of scale and scope.

And it was cold. Very cold. Despite that Olivia was used to cold weather due to having grown up in cold Scotland, was well dressed in a sweater and a thick winter jacket, she still froze.

She walked towards a crossroads full of people. There appeared to be no different from when the traffic lights were red and green. People walked and cars kept driving whenever they pleased. It was absolute chaos.  
The traffic was loud and people drove carelessly as if a crash was to ensue any moment. Luckily nothing happened and Olivia safely managed to get to the other side of the road.

She walked into a spooky alley with closed windows and broken walls. Suddenly one could hear the sound of a motorbike driving closer and closer. Olivia backed off and let him pass by. He appeared to drive quite recklessly. And then it happened a car came and crashed into the biker and then into a lamp post.

Olivia gasped in shock and fear.  
The man fell off his bike and rolled over the car and landed on the ground with broken ribs.

The little girl went closer to the biker who laid in the snow. He appeared to be in so much pain that he was unable to scream.  
The sleeves of his down jacket had been ripped off and one could see the bones sticking out. Olivia remembered a year ago when she had encountered a dog who had been hit by a car on the road. The empathy she had felt for it. Suddenly without knowing it the dog’s broken bones had been mend together again and it was able to walk again. Perhaps she was able to repeat the same feat here? It was a desperate matter of life or death.

She stretched out her hand hoping for a miracle. Her hand was shaking and she felt extremely unsure about what was to happen.  
Instead of mending the broken ribs, her magic ripped them apart further. That was when she stopped. She couldn’t risk taking this man’s life.  
Olivia ran out of the alley trying to find someone who could help.

“Jiu ming a. Jiu ming a, ” she cried. “Help!” It was one of the first words her mother had taught her.

Not a single soul even gave her second thought. Everyone she turned to just walked away as if nothing was going.  
Tears were flowing down her cheeks. She had failed one man’s life.  
.  
.  
Cho apparated back within the gates of the quarters she lived in and stumbled until she fell into the snow. This was the last time I apparated even slightly drunk, she thought for herself.

She took the elevator up to her grandfather’s apartment and then walked into her’s and Olivia’s room. To her shock, her daughter was gone. 

In her haste, Cho slammed up the door to her grandfather’s bedroom.  
“Olivia! Where is she?” She asked worryingly.

“AAAAAHHHHH!” The Muggle woke up in shock. “Why are you waking me up this late? ” 

“Olivia is gone. Where is she?”

“What did you just say? “

“Oh Merlin. Why didn’t you keep an eye on her grandma? You know how dangerous it is out there? She could be hit by a car. ”

“She must’ve gone when I was asleep. I don’t know where Olivia is. ”  
Then Cho raised her wand and said loudly and clearly; “Expecto Patronum!”

A swan in shining blue was conjured and flew up several meters in the air outside. Cho closed her eyes and was now able to see everything the Patronus was seeing.

“What in the yellow emperor’s name is that?” her grandfather asked in awe as he peaked out of the window. 

“It is a corporeal Patronus. A force of positive energy that takes the form of an animal that reflects one's inner self, ” Cho explained.

“It is beautiful! But how will this thing help find your daughter? ”

“My former headmaster modified the charm a long time ago, which allows one to see what the Patronus is seeing. Now please shut up. I need to concentrate, ” she said with her eyes closed.

She made the blue swan scan these parts of the city for her. The traffic was hectic as usual. Hopefully, Olivia had not gotten into an accident.  
Then she found her in a dark alley. It appeared like she was mourning a severely wounded biker who had been hit by a truck. It was not a very pleasant sight to behold.

“I found her. ”  
.  
.  
Olivia sat on her knees crying. How could she have failed to save the biker and the truck driver? The truck driver’s neck had snapped and was already dead. The biker was going to die and no one cared about doing anything about it.

“Ollie, back down. I will help him, ” she turned around and saw her mother coming forward to the hurt biker with her wand drawn and ready to heal his wounds.

“Mother!”

Cho went down on her knees, pointed her wand at the wounds, and started to mend the bones of the plucky biker.

“Will he be okay, mother?” Olivia asked.

“Yes, he will be alright, Ollie. Don't worry everything will be fine ” Cho said as the biker started to regain conscience.


	4. Fenghuang Academy

It was a grey and cloudy morning at the end of August. Cho and Olivia stood on a hidden section of the Great Wall of China in the Badaling Mountains. There were hundreds of kids, dressed in a white shirt and black robes, with their families waiting to say goodbye for the upcoming school year at Fenghuang Academy.

That’s right, Olivia had against all odds learned how to speak fluent Mandarin and had passed the language test to attend the largest wizarding school in the country. It was a day of victory and triumph indeed. The application process had been long and Olivia was almost not allowed to apply due to being born in Europe and not in an Asian country which was usually required for students to attend. Luckily Cho had been able to revoke her old Chinese citizenship in time so her daughter was given a pass. 

The night when Olivia had encountered the biker and the dead truck driver had been a life-changing experience. From there on she had promised herself to be the best witch she could be and always stay true to herself. That was how she had succeeded in the end. Her mother couldn’t have been more proud. Cho had herself gotten stable employment at the pub of the Huangdi District but would still keep her job at the Daily Prophet for the time being.

“So here we are Ollie. How does it feel? It isn’t Hogwarts you will be going to but this may be just as good. ”

“It feels great mother. What will you do now that I’ll be gone? ”

“Not much just work I suppose. I have taken a few days off work to see my friend Padma in Hong Kong. I’ll write to you as often as I can. ”

“You really don’t need to. ”

Cho let out a tear and went down her knees and hugged her daughter. 

“I will miss you, Olivia. I will miss you so much. ”

Olivia couldn’t help but cry as well. She did not care how many wizards and witches that surrounded them. Now it was only she and her mother who mattered. They held onto each other in what seemed like an eternity.

“It is time to go now, ” Cho said looking at her arm clock.

“Goodbye mother, ” Olivia said drying up her tears.

Cho apparated away from the Great Wall leaving Olivia alone with her future schoolmates. The young witch felt an overwhelming range of emotions. Both of excitement, sadness, and uncertainty. 

Suddenly a large ship with three red sails, one that Olivia recognized from the history books as an ancient Junk, came flying down from the clouds and stopped a the height of one the towers.

The old and new students were boarded inside the ship which was bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. They were instructed by the prefects that the 1st year students were meant to sit at the lowest level of the ship. 

Olivia wasn’t sure how many students were boarding the ship. It appeared to be over a hundred at least. At it wasn’t even the entire student body. Only those from the northern provinces. According to Cho’s new friend Travis from Hong Kong, different ships were sent to all major regions that encompassed wizarding China and even one for those who lived outside the country in Southeast Asia. Just thinking about how the school could manage this many students gave her a headache. 

“Hello. Can I take a seat here?” She asked an overweight glasses-wearing boy who sat next to a window.

“Yes of course. ”

“Thank you. ”

“You are not from around here are you?” He said.

“That is true. I am from Scotland, Great Britain. Are you from Beijing? ”

“No. I am from Tianjin, a city very close to Beijing. I am what the other wizards call for a ‘Putongborn’. There is nothing magical about my family. ”

“Ah. My father was also Putong or a ‘Muggle’ as we call them in Great Britain. ”

“‘Wait, witches can marry Putong in England? That doesn’t make any sense. According to the Ministry Official who introduced me to this world said only my parents were allowed to know. ”

“Yes, we can. But someone from out Ministry must check him to decide if he’s worthy of knowing about the wizarding world. However, my mother decided to keep both me and my father from knowing about magic until I was 8. Dad couldn’t bear all the lies so he demanded a divorce and now I am here. ”

“I’m sorry to hear that. My name is Tao. What’s yours? ”

“Olivia. But some of my friends back home call me Ollie. ”

“Nice to meet you, Oliva. Which House did you get in?”

“The letter I got said The Qing House. Where did you get in?”

“How fun! I got into Qing as well.”

They heard a noise and it appeared like the Junk was casting anchor. Tao and Olivia looked out from the window and saw how they were lifting in the air and above the clouds heading for the very south of China.  
.  
.  
Several hours later Olivia and Tao stood at the deck looking as the Junk ship was sailing above the plenty of impressive landscapes. Above mountains, rivers, and bamboo forests they sailed. The landscape reminded Olivia of that long science fiction movie ‘Avatar’ which premiered roughly a year ago. Except this was in real life. 

One-legged ox-like creatures were galloping on the ground which some students referred to as ‘Kui. ’ A pair of Chinese fireball dragon flew down and grabbed some of the ‘Kui’ for food which Olivia found slightly disturbing. 

Then all the children were ordered to go inside the ship again. When Olivia looked down from the window she could understand why. They were passing above the heavily guarded border to Tibet and needed pass as discreetly as possible without getting noticed by the soldiers. After a few minutes, they were permitted to go above the deck. The ship elegantly sailed over empty plain fields where farmers were sowing their rice, snowy mountains (where a yeti could be spotted feeding on a dead yak). 

Out of the mist, a small city straight out from the old dynasties appeared in the desolate mountains. Fenghuang Academy, they had finally arrived. Above the city and on a there was a massive pagoda sitting on a mountaintop. Swan-like birds in all colors could be seen on some rooftops. They had to be Chinese Phoenixes, the Fenghuang which the school was named after. 

A long silver-colored dragon without wings flew towards the ship and circulated around it to the aw of the students. Olivia didn’t recognize one such dragon from the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, so it had to be one of those sentient ones that ran the banks.

More and more ships sprouted out from the mist and stopped next to the cliffs where the students were let of. Olivia, Tao, and the other schoolmates from the northern provinces set foot on the ground. 

They were instructed by the prefects to group themselves by year to create and even-numbered formation. Several massive columns were formed with the 1st year students in the back. 

After they were done with the formation, they marched towards the largest pagoda in the school area as beautiful women in white robes were playing on drums and ancient instruments which added to the sheer epicness of the moment. 

The students marched up on the stairs and onto a massive platform. The older students stopped walking and so did the younger ones. The musicians stopped playing as well. 

A moment of silence ensued and soon a long wizard who seemed to be in his late 60s or early 70s, dressed in black and yellow robes walked out on the balcony of the massive building that towered above the students. Worth noting was that he wore sunglasses and carried a stick with him as if he was blind. 

“Bow for Master Fa Yan, Headmaster of Fenghuang Academy, ” one of the perfects and went down on knees after which everyone else followed suit. 

A few seconds later they were ordered to stand up again and the Headmaster began to speak. 

“Hard work, patience, compassion, and courage. Those are the core values for those worthy of studying at Fenghuang Academy, “ he said in Mandarin with a magically enlarged voice. 

The old wizard then waved his hands and formed a large blue vision of a witch in the air for everyone to see. 

“A long time ago; In ancient Tibet, during the age of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, there was a mighty witch that would put every wizard today that claims themselves to be 'powerful' to shame. Her name was 'Lhamo' the would-be founder of Fenghuang Academy, the glorious wizarding school you have had the honor to attend. ”

He continued her speech with great energy and enthusiasm.  
"After many years of the building of the school, finding new teachers, tracking down every magical kid within Tibet she felt overburdened with responsibilities. Being the headmistress of the largest wizarding school in the region back in the days broke her and she was contemplating taking her life. However, one of the teachers stopped her and kindly proceeded to teach her "hing kung", a discipline aimed at balance. Lhamo succeeded in this training and learned an important lesson: true balance is attained not by allowing the weight of the world to control you, but by becoming weightless and taking control of the world. "

Now the vision showed Lhamo flying in above the sky together in harmony with her Phoenix.

"After several years of unbroken meditation and isolation from the outside world. she learned to free herself from all earthly desires. The search for power, status, validation, and money. All this effort and teachings made her finally able to fly without any exterior means. She tried to teach this to her friends and pupils but to no avail thus the ability to fly unaided became seen as a mere myth and legend up until a few decades ago. ”

Did he refer to Voldemort? Olivia thought for herself. She had never witnessed anyone performing said ability in real life but she remembered her mother saying that she had watched a witch flying without broomsticks during the Battle of Hogwarts.

“Lhamo would continue for centuries and would use her extraordinary abilities to protect Tibet from foreign invaders. " Master Fa Yan now revealed a vision of a massive army riding on horses through the mountains. "During the 12th century, the Tibetan Empire found itself overwhelmed by the invading Mongol Armies and Lhamo were killed by wizards affiliated with Kublai Khan. Fenghuang Academy was taken over by the Mongolian wizards. From there on magical kids from other parts of the Mongol Empire were allowed to board which included those from China. Over the centuries Fenghuang Academy has become one of the most respected and highly regarded wizarding schools in the world. And unlike over sister school and main competitor Kaarmana School of Magic in India, we at Fenghuang Academy strongly believe in the equality of all wizards of witches, regardless of blood status, caste, and economic income. “

It appeared like Tao felt a sense of relief hearing those words.

“I was born in a poor Putong family in the slums of the Shanghai International Settlement during the 1920s with little to no future. But after I was informed about my special powers, I had the luck to be selected into Fenghuang which changed my life forever and for the better. I sincerely hope that after your graduation that you will feel the same, ” the headmistress wished all of his students.


	5. Hong Kong SAR

The clock had hit 7 pm when Cho landed on the floor inside a skyscraper in Hong Kong. She threw the portkey which took the form of a red flag with a white flower, up in the air, where it disappeared and was transported back to Beijing.

She looked out of the window to get a look at Hong Kong, her city of birth. There were countless national landmarks to be spotted. The Bank of China Tower, the HBC Building, the Nina Tower, and the Central Plaza. The metropolis was just as astounding as she remembered it the last time she was here, a decade ago, when she was pregnant and visited the city together with Martin. 

Cho had also revisited her birthplace with her parents two times since they moved abroad. Back then Hong Kong had been a colony of the United Kingdom but since 1999 had been passed over its jurisdiction to the People's Republic of China as a Special Administrative Region. That was only in the Muggle world of course. Since member states of the International Confederation of Wizards have been forbidden to wage war against each other since the early 18th century, Hong Kong has always remained a part of Wizarding China. Just with much less enforced secrecy laws. 

The Scottish witch approached a young blond, white lady in a white shirt and waistcoat.

“Nǐ hǎo. Huānyíng lái dào xiānggǎng wūshī lǐshì huì!”

“It is okay. I am from the UK, ” Cho replied. 

“Okay. Good day Miss. Please follow me!” She said with an English accent. “Welcome to Hong Kong Wizard’s Council! ”

The Hong Kong Wizard’s Council was located within the Hopewell Centre Building, through the use of a double-dimension spell which enables different spaces to be located within the same area. 

It was here all the politics of Hong Kong’s wizarding community was managed. There was a significant amount of Brits to be spotted and Cho also noted that many within Wizard’s Council, from guards to regular visitors carried European style wands. She felt like she was at home somehow, and in a way, she was home. 

Cho followed the signs towards the financial department where she was helped by a Chinese-looking goblin to exchange currency from Jiaozi to the Hong Kong dollar. Then she took a caged elevator and levitated down to the ground floor. 

She walked out of the building and out in the neon-lit streets of Hong Kong. Cho wondered whether she dared to apparate or not in the city. It was quite a while since she was here, last time and appeared like the Special Administrative Region of China had just kept growing over the past decade. Now it practically looked like something out of a science fiction movie or a Japanese anime cartoon. Like that confusing movie 'Blade Runner', which Cho's ex-husband couldn't stop gushing about.

She walked across the road towards a water shop.

“Duo Shao Qian? ” Cho asked in Mandarin pointing at a bottle of sparkling water.

“That’ll be 6 dollars, please. ”

Just like Cho had expected he answered in English. One of the unwritten rules of Hong Kong is that you may never speak Mandarin in public. Her mother, who came from the Mainland, had to learn that the hard way. 

While she was looking for a taxi she found a sign where it stood;

“South China Knight Bus. Arriving in two minutes, 华南 骑士巴士。两分钟内到达! ”

After waiting two minutes a purple double-decker bus appeared in front of her, out of nowhere. Boarding the bus gave her much nostalgia from her childhood when she would board the British knight bus every September 1 to travel from Glasgow to London to take the Hogwarts Express up to Scotland again. On the window, on the right side of the bus, there was a table which marked the different stops. There were labels like “Macau”, “Guangzhou” and even “Taipei, Taiwan” (how that worked was a mystery to Cho).

She bought a ticket from the bus chauffeur, which she had stamped by the house-elf conductor. Before Cho could find a seat the bus had already hit the road at full speed, causing her to fall on the floor and losing grip of her backpack, and falling towards the back end of the bus, to the other passengers' amusement. 

Suddenly she felt her body lift above the floor and fly to an empty seat next to an elderly lady. 

“Are you okay?” She asked as she wandlessly summoned Cho's backpack as well.

“Yes, I’m okay. Thank you...”

Two stops later the Knight Bus had reached Cho’s point of destination.

“Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon“ as the bus driver said. 

Cho bid goodbye to the lady next to her and walked out of the enchanted vehicle. She took out a pair of cigarettes from her short’s pocket and lit one of them with a lighter. 

Tsim Sha Tsui was a vast shopping district located in the south of the Kowloon peninsula, next to Victoria harbor. It was roughly in this part of Hong Kong Cho used to live with her parents. A lot has changed since. Now a lot of people from the Mainland could be seen and heard here on the streets.

“You’re not in the Mainland any longer you filthy piece of communist ching chong!” She heard someone shout in Cantonese while kicking another man out of a department store. 

“Don’t touch me you western imperialist parasite!” The other man replied in Mandarin while pushing the shop owner backward. 

The shop owner responded by punching the Mainlander in the face and soon a fight had broken.

It was truly an unpleasant sight to behold so Cho hurried to leave the place as quickly as possible. 

Walking through the crowds of tourists she came across an Indian restaurant with two bronze statues of the Hindu god Ganesha standing next to the door. She looked at her smartphone and saw that she was at the right address. 

Cho dropped her cigarette in a trash can and went into the nearly empty restaurant where she saw her childhood friend, dressed in a flowery skirt and white t-shirt, sitting next to a table together with whom she assumed worked at the restaurant. 

“Padma!”

“Cho!”

The two friends embraced each other with a hug. 

“It is great to see you again my fellow eagle. Congrats to Olivia! Has she arrived at the Chinese wizarding school now?”

“Yes, she has. She’s been there for roughly a week now. I haven’t gotten back the letter I wrote to her. It is quite a distance for a hawk to fly from Beijing to Tibet. How are you? Everything is going well in Mumbai?”

“Everything is great. Farida and I are very happy together. You smell weird. Have you begun smoking again?” The British-Indian witch asked concerned.

“What can I say. Life’s been very stressful for me lately, ” Cho answered, slightly embarrassed by the question.

Padma shook her head disappointed. 

“That’s not very good. My girlfriend Farida smokes too. I’ve tried to make her stop but to no avail. “

Almost forgot how brutally honest and open with her thoughts Padma was, Cho thought silently for herself. 

“Anyway, meet my cousin Sanjay. ”

“Hi! Or Ni hao as you say in Mandarin, ” the skinny restaurant worker said. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Chang. ”

“Please call me ‘Cho’. ”

The Scottish witch knew from texting with Padma that Sanjay was a squib but that was a topic she wanted to avoid right now. 

“So do you want to eat here? ” The Indian squib asked.

“Actually, we were thinking of visiting magical parts of Hong Kong, ” his cousin answered. 

“Oh yes. Of course. See you later. ”

The two former Hogwarts students went outside and walked towards the harbor. 

“So how long have you been here, Padma? ”

“I arrived here yesterday on my flying carpet. ”

“Really? That’s a really long way. From India to Hong Kong.”

“No just kidding. I took the portkey. They are quite cheap to use where I live. ”

“How’s it going with Farida? ”

“It is going great. We’re thinking of marriage soon. ”

“Marriage? That’s incredible. When is the wedding?” Cho said feeling somewhat jealous of her friend’s newfound happiness.

“Not sure. We haven’t decided anything yet. Perhaps in a year or so. ”

They entered a magically concealed part of Victoria Harbor and went aboard a boat called SS Phoenix which cut the painter. A lot of strange people had boarded the ship including a Chinese vampire, a pair of goblins, and a man with a mechanical leg, left arm, and a robotic eye. If one looked in the water, one could spot sirens swimming alongside the boat.

“So, Cho. Do I dare to ask if everything is okay with you and Olivia now?” Padma said, looking out over the horizon. 

“I would say so. She was quite angry at first when we arrived in Beijing. Didn’t know the language and couldn’t make any new friends. Most western websites are blocked in the Mainland so she can’t even watch youtube or chat with her old classmates on Facebook. Hopefully, she can make some new friends at the Academy.”

“I get it. Farida would get really frustrated if she went on for too long without internet access. She’s a Muggleborn or a ‘Magulu-born’ as we say in Hindi. ”

“How is the relation between Muggles and witches in India?” Cho asked.

“Pretty much the same as back in Britain due to past colonization. Wizarding India is a federation of smaller autonomous states that reflects the borders of the British Raj meaning that the Indian Ministry of Magic controls not only India but also Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. We are allowed to marry approved Muggles or ‘Magalu’, parents are free to send their kids to non-magical schools before they turn 11, and the Minister for Magic is kept in contact with the Prime Minister. Indian Wix does not always take the Statute of Secrecy very seriously hence why snake charmers and witch-hunting in rural areas still is a widespread issue. ”

“In Mainland China Muggle-Wix marriages have been illegal since 1949. The only Chinese Muggles that are allowed the existence of magic are the close families of Muggleborns. Those restrictions don’t however apply to either Hong Kong or Taiwan. 

“ I understand. Magic goes against the Chinese Communist Party's values I suppose. Farida’s home country of Pakistan suffers from similar issues. Except there it is about Islamic fundamentalism. The Indian Ministry does not inform the Pakistani Muggle Government about the existence of our world and the local autonomous wizarding authorities enforce countless separations of Muggleborn children from their families. Luckily this wasn’t necessary for Farida. Her parents did reluctantly accept that one of their daughters was a witch without telling anyone else. Not every Pakistani Muggleborn has been that lucky. ”

“Something about the Quran I suppose? That witchcraft is considered ‘haram’?” Cho said. 

“Yes exactly. ”

"So your girlfriend is a witch, a lesbian, and smokes. That must be like three harams in one, " the Chinese witch said bluntly.

"One could say that yes. That is not to say Muggleborns from Hindu families in India Proper don’t suffer as well. The Ministry has worked very hard to save young wizards and witches from abusive Muggle families who abandon their children for the sake of their religious beliefs. "

“But you’re a Hindu right? ”

“Yes my entire family takes our religious duties very seriously. Both the wizarding nations of India and Pakistan are just as religious as our respective Muggle counterparts. Not like in Britain where no one except wizards from non-magical families believes in any higher deities. However the variants of Hinduism and Islam that we witches and wizards practice does differ quite a lot from those practiced amongst Muggles. Have you ever considered joining a religion, Cho? I am certain it will be very healthy for you. ”

“Not really. Martin was a very faithful Christian but that wasn’t something I latched onto. My colleague at the bar is part of a very interesting movement called ‘Falun Gong’ or Falun Dafa as it’s called in Mandarin. I might join her group at some point to see what all the fuss is about. ”

“I have heard about it. But isn't it illegal in the People’s Republic of China? ” Padma asked.

“Yes, it is. If I join the Falun Gong movement I may one day find myself in a Muggle prison for my organs to be harvested and sold to the highest bidder, so perhaps I should not think more about it, ” Cho said joking.

“No perhaps that is for the best, ” her friend laughed. "I wouldn't want to have my organs harvested either. "

.  
.  
After spending the whole evening together Cho and Padma apparated in front of Sanjay's home of Kowloon Walled City. The poorest and most ungoverned part of Hong Kong. This was where Cho's mother had grown after fleeing with her family from the Communist rule of Mainland China during the 1960s. Back then this part of the city had been heavily plagued by the grip of the local triads, crime, and prostitution. Not the best place to raise a family in other words.

The two witches walked up the stairs of one of the decaying apartment store buildings. Padma opened one of the doors on the highest floor and woke up her cousin who was sleeping on the couch.

"Goodnight witches. Hope you don't mind sleeping on the floor. "


End file.
